BSO: ‘GIVE US YOUR GUNS’

GUN BUYBACK OFFERS GIFT CARDS FOR FIREARMS

Date: April 5, 2013 PIO Number: 13-4-4

In just three months, residential burglars got away with about 30 firearms through break-ins in Broward Sheriff’s Office jurisdictions. If in a matter of minutes these suspects can get their hands on the weapons, gun owners are not storing them safely. Instead of having your unwanted gun land in the hands of criminals, you can exchange those weapons for gift cards Saturday at a gun buyback event in Pompano Beach. BSO has teamed up with the City of Pompano Beach and Broward Crime Stoppers to give anyone who turns in a firearm up to $100 in Walmart gift cards in exchange, no questions asked.

The gun buyback is part of Sheriff Scott Israel’s three-pronged approach to reduce gun violence in our communities.

“We’ve also tweaked our street-level enforcement to go after the criminals who are committing the crimes in our communities, but it takes more than law enforcement,” Sheriff Israel said. “We need to educate our residents about gun safety and how to take an active role in reducing the crime on our streets.”

Sheriff Israel recommends storing your firearms under lock and key, unloaded and with the cylinder or action open. Residents should also be aware of their surroundings and should contact Broward Crime Stoppers if they have information about someone who illegally possesses firearms. Through their Gun Stoppers program, the caller can receive up to $1,000 if the tip leads to an arrest.

For more information about the gun buyback event, contact 954-831-8902.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.